Dicty.io
Core Features

Menu Bar & Overlay HUDs

Navigate Dicty with the menu bar extra, floating recording overlay, and quick HUD switcher.

Dicty is designed to stay unobtrusive while providing instant visual feedback and frictionless controls.

Menu Bar Extra#

The status bar tray icon lives in your macOS menu bar (top-right corner). Clicking it opens the quick control menu:

[ Start Recording ]
──────────────────────────────────────
Profile: Default                 ▶
Active Mode                      ▶  (Librarian, Dictation, Meeting, Focused)
Librarian Target                 ▶  (Confluence, Linear, Obsidian)
Architecture Queue (3 thoughts)
⚡️ Synthesize Architecture Doc
Dictation Style                  ▶  (Raw, Book, Fast Punctuation, Email...)
──────────────────────────────────────
Audio Input                      ▶  (System Default, AirPods, Studio Mic)
Configuration Setup...           ⌘,
──────────────────────────────────────
Quit                             ⌘Q

Menu Actions Explained#

  • Start / Stop Recording: Instant recording toggle.
  • Profile Selector: Rapidly switch between your customized dictation and project profiles.
  • Audio Input Picker: Switch between hardware microphones or leave on System Default (Dynamic) to adapt when connecting Bluetooth headsets.
  • Architecture Queue Shortcut: Shows how many spoken thoughts are currently staged.
  • Configuration Setup...: Opens the main glassmorphic Settings dashboard.

Floating Recording Overlay#

When recording begins, Dicty displays a floating, semi-transparent HUD overlay.

Overlay ElementVisual IndicatorInteraction / Behavior
Mode BadgeColored circle (D, L, M, F)Shows the currently active mode with custom accent tint.
Audio WaveformAnimated 80-band dynamic visualizerReal-time visual feedback reflecting microphone energy levels.
Partial StreamingLive subtitled text previewStreams recognized words in real-time over a local background WebSocket.
Stop Control⌘ R or HotkeyStops recording and begins formatting / transcription.
Cancel ControlEscInstantly discards the current audio buffer without pasting.

Key Capabilities#

  1. Animated Pulsing Equalizer: Real-time 80-band dynamic waveform reflecting input audio energy.
  2. Live WebSocket Streaming Partials: Displays words in real-time as you speak via a local background WebSocket endpoint (ws://127.0.0.1:8765/ws/transcribe/stream).
  3. Mini Capsule Mode vs Expanded Card: Click the collapse button (⤢) to shrink the overlay into an ultra-compact dynamic capsule.
  4. Color-Coded Mode Tag: Displays a distinctive colored badge (D for Dictation, L for Librarian, M for Meeting, F for Focused Meeting).
  5. Escape to Discard: Press Esc at any time during recording to discard the audio buffer without pasting.

Quick Mode Switcher HUD (⌥ ⇧ M)#

Pressing ⌥ ⇧ M summons the centered Mode Switcher HUD:

  • Use the Up/Down Arrow keys or numeric keys 1–9 to highlight a mode.
  • Press Enter or Space to activate.
  • Press Esc to dismiss.